Historic Wrigley Field hosts the Nationals for the first game of the season.

CHICAGO — I suppose there are worse places to be on Opening Day than this. Man, what a setting, huh? It is, however, quite cold in the appropriately named Windy City. Gametime temperature will be 51 degrees, but there's a still breeze blowing straight in from center field, right off Lake Michigan.

There may not be anyone in attendance today happier to know that than Stephen Strasburg, who gets to take advantage of the weather — not to mention a less-than-daunting Cubs lineup — in his 2012 debut. It'll be interesting to see how far Davey Johnson lets his ace go. Strasburg threw as many as 84 pitches this spring, so he should be good to surpass 90 and maybe even approach 100.

Veteran Ryan Dempster will be on the mound for Chicago, facing a Nationals lineup that is without cleanup hitter Michael Morse and center fielder Rick Ankiel (both are set to begin rehab assignments with Class AA Harrisburg tonight in Bowie) but still boasts a red-hot Ryan Zimmerman (who looked fantastic this spring).

It's the greatest day of the year, and if you can't be here watching the game live, rest assured I'll have plenty of updates throughout right here…

I'm so happy to be a Nats fan in Chicago today and this weekend. I just wish I had business-appropriate Nats clothing to wear at work today. Maybe that's what I'll do in my second career–design MLB-themed suits for women. That'd be awesome. Go Nats!!!!

In the immortal words of MichelleS: "WOO-HOO."The bourbon and Maalox have been restocked.The Best 25 Have Come North (including Kristina!)The Neats foot oil has lubed up the mitt.The radio is set for Charlie and Dave.The sun is shining, and the wind is blowing in.Jesus is in the mound.What could be better?Wild card, or bust.86 victories.Go You Freaking Nats Go!!!!!!!!!!!Mark and every Nats Insider, let's have a great season.

Boy, pitching staff looks like a group of all stars and the lineup looks…unfinished. Let's hope for a 2-1 Nats win because they won't be busting scoreboards with crooked numbers this year. A lot of close ones ahead.

Cough.. Cough.. Sniffle.. working from home.. My Allergies have acted up. That was the line for the day. Have MLB Network on. Will put ESPN 980 so I can hear from Mark Z. Apparantly they are doing an opening day special from noon to 2.

dfh21…..not the best 25 really. Harper is better right now Roger, Brett, Nady and likely Werth……DeRosa is better until he get hurt.Steve Lombo is a very poor 3rd and Chad Tracy just plan sucks…but because Rizzo was so passive in building the bench…I guess they are the best we have.Pitching…..Chadd D is better than several guys in the Bull Pen……I have the beer ready NJ….but it should have been a better opening day 25 than this…….you can not possible think this was a strong opening 25.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda never won a championship. And, if ifs and buts were candies and nuts, then we'd all have a merry Chrstmas. Coaches from my sporting youth said stuff like that all of the time, JayB.This is the 25 we've got. It's also the best 25 we've ever had, hands down. Could it have been better, should it have been, etc? Maybe, but who cares. It's go time. It's Go Nats time!!dfh21

The best they have every had….sure is by a good amount….does that mean they do not have to finish the job and be the best they could be?Not to me….just a little more money and some aggressive contracts in December and we would be favored to win the division.

bdrube said… @JayB – it's the strongest opening 25 the Nats have ever had BY FAR. To argue otherwise is just plain daffy.Not only that, but Morse and Ankiel will be back by the home opener next week, and Storen shortly thereafter. Kristina Akra-sized upgrades all.

JayBe, true enough, but I don't care if they win the off-season. Every year, some team defies the predictions, and wins games they were not "supposed to." I see no reason why these guys can't. And yeah, I know I said 83.

Opening Day is not a prelude to anything far reaching. Remember 2008, Nats start 3-0, ha ha, where did that get them. In 1969, Nats lost opener to Yankees and ended up 86-76, by contrast in 1971, Nats beat A's 8-0 and a young pitcher named Vida Blue got smacked around.Front page of Wash Sports section the next day reads: Bosman Hurls Nats into AL lead. Well, Blue proceeds to win 17 in a row and the Cy Young after that, and our Nats proceed to leave for Texas. Opening Day's are over rated to say the least.

This morning at Napoleon's tomb I ran into another guy in a Nats cap. Truly. (Big crowd — not much elba room.)If that chance meeting turns out to be a good omen for Opening Day, the conga line starts at the Arc de Triomphe!GYFNG!

Okay, I just got the email I've been dreading, so feel I must issue my disclaimer so anybody out there who knows me will know…Yes, my first name is Jay, and yes, my last name begins with a B, but I AM NOT THAT JAYB!Happy Opening Day to all. Go NATS!

electric kookaid trip:stras will throw a 100 pitch complete game shut out, after bernie makes over the shoulder barehanded catch to save home run.HRs from zim, espy and laroche. desi 3 for 4 with a walk and 2 stolen bases. laroche makes unassisted DP.werth shaves beard with one hand while hitting base clearing triple with other.after castro stands on home plate to get hit by a strasburg pitch, joe west descends from the clouds (flying under power of his own hot air) and gives him first base. ramos throws him out trying to steal.have fun at duffy's.hot damn. gyfng

As a Nats fan living in California, I'd just like to thank MLB for opening the Nationals' season in the central time zone, so I won't feel like I'm drinking beer too early in the morning. Now let's sweep the Cubs and get off to a hot start!

My son was given a baseball before he was born that was autographed by John Lannan and Josh Willingham. On the day he was born, John Lannan started, pitched a great game, and Josh Willingham hit a walk off HR to beat the Orioles. Weird. On the day my son experienced his first baseball game, John Lannan lost his job. Today, Opening Day 2012 MASN is coincidentally replaying that entire game from 5-23-10. Weird.Ok I'm a huge nerd, but still….it's weird

And now we have a new verb — getting LannEn-ed – which is infinitely better than being Patterson-ed. Depending on who you ask. Woo- Hoo One hour to go until first pitch!!!!! I actually went into work very early this morning so that I could get off at 2. Seriously – my co-workers think I am absolutely nuts. I say — Nats on tv and imaginary friends on the computer are the only way to go!!!

No kidding about Kristina Akra.All she has to do is conduct an interview better than a shoe box and she'll be an upgrade over Taylor.I guess MASN is pulling out all the stops this year.Hope we hit Dempster better than the last couple of years. Last year we were 4 out of 25 against him and one of those hits was from Hariston. Avg – .160. The year before that? 6 of 48, Avg – .125Yeesh!

Of the four on the DL, I think I'm worried about in this order (least to most)Ankiel – a minor injury, he'll be on and off the DL all season; Wang – we know what it is and it will heal;Morse – could linger, or he could re-injure it, the guy swings hard;Storen – "elbow inflammation" – what caused it? Is it a symptom of something deeper? Was he overused last year, or did he throw too hard too soon this spring?

Lived on Southport and Addison in Wrigleyville for 8 years…truly a magical place for baseball. Still love my Cubbies and the memories from the Dusty Baker era. That being said…the Nats are my hometown team and now first in my heart. As Ernie used to say…What a day for a game-Let's Play Two!!!

Agree. We need Morse back — in full Beast Mode — ASAP. Defensively, Bernadina can handle CF, and he's not much worse at the plate than Ankiel and has more upside if he could ever put it together. I hope Storen's injury is just a passing thing. Sounds like he's feeling good after a couple bullpen sessions. But if it does turn into something lingering, at least the Nats have plenty of depth there to pick up the slack.

We'll know a lot more after Ank and MM start their rehab assignments today.They both need some ABs if they are going to be ready by the 12th/10th respectively.Would love to have our full lineup against the Reds come April 12th.

Woo hoo, here we go. It seems like a long time coming. Murray is always good for a laugh.Big fan of Kristina here. Given the discussion last year by some of our ladies, we of the 'male persuasion' may need to have a conversation about her soon, but not on Opening Day.

Man on 2nd and 3rd less than 2 outs….if this team is going to be a contender, that has to be put in play.ALR, that was a dagger in the first. We are already going to be struggling for runs without that garbage.Ugh…painful.

Like every team today is just killing the ball except the Nats. Right?When you've decided you don't like someone, whether it's the Lerners, Rizzo , or Johnson, you're going to spew evil just like a Republican discussing the President.

It's the first game of the season, and it doesn't look like anyone is crushing the ball (just looked at game day and there is only 2 runs on the board for 5 games). I am thinking its just Darn cold out

Not watching the game (the curse of having to work for a living), but from the updates, it seems that the Nats are at least getting folks on base against Dempster. As for SS, he has appeared to cruise through three innings.If we can get into their bullpen early, things can change quickly. For all the grousing about Desi and Espi, they ARE doing their jobs of getting on base.Its just the first game…people need to relax.

Does anyone know who is pitching game 5 of the Season? I have tickets to see the Nats play the Mets on Tuesday at Citi Field. I know that since they have off tomorrow, Stras might pitch on 4 days of rest. Is it gonna be Stras or Ross?

Good thing the Cubs can't hit, because Strasburg is throwing meatballs up there right now. I know he is working on pitching to contact to conserve pitches, but on this team you have to be perfect to have a chance to win. Can Harper be here by Saturday???

(insert sarcastic tone here):You're probably right…They should just forgo the LAST FIVE INNINGS…It's hopeless…_______________Dixiemag said… Looks like Strasburg is going to lose this game 1-0. Just like last year, the Nat's hitters can't support a well-pitched game. LaRoche looks lost at the plate.

Time to watch the Masters. I will be happy with a 1-5 record heading into the home opener. At least that means they can't go 0-21. 1 bloop hit in 7 innings and people think we're going to the playoffs. Now the question is who will have more: Hole in Ones at Augusta or runs this weekend for the Nationals. My money is on Hole in Ones. Maybe I should make that hits instead of runs.

This is Strasburg's last inning.Thanks to no run support, Davy's got to pinch hit for him to lead off the 8th.And I don't get it. We are struggling against Dempster and we Ramos is swinging at the first pitch? Let's take some so we can get him out of there.Ugly.

I cant decide if a game like this reflects why the W-L stat is useless, or if it reflects why it is the ultimate statistic clearly identifying who did more to help their team win? SS did 7 IP, 1R, but Dempster did just a little better at 0R and his 1-0 record will be that much better than SS's 0-1 record.

So we have been given many, many base runners and gifts wrapped up as walks and we can't hit any of them in? That is just pathetic. Kerry Wood was terrible. But I do think neither pitcher can get a win now. Is that right?

@Alan_A: "OK, about that Win stat – Dempster just lost his. Fair measure of his performance?"+1. It's a meaningless statistic. Dempster dominated the game until he came out. Now some relief pitcher will get the "win," because of what the other team's offense does.

Dixiemag said…Looks like Strasburg is going to lose this game 1-0. Just like last year, the Nat's hitters can't support a well-pitched game. LaRoche looks lost at the plate. Can I help you wipe that egg off your face?

Mick, give it a rest man. Zimm should be 2 for 2 with 4 RBI today and Werth tagged one pretty well earlier in the game. The top of the order has been on A LOT. The Cubs are also nowhere near the level of worst pitching considering they have Dempster and Matt Garza. That would go to the Astros, Orioles and Pirates way before the Cubs.

Man..I can't believe we are going to lose game seven of the World Series this way….this team is really pathet….wait…..This is just the FIRST game of the season?Nevermind…Really people. It is opening day, the wind is blowing in and, even if we lose today (GASP), there are 161 more to go…

Just thought I'd point out that there were two 1-0 finals in the NL already today, Philadelphia over Pittsburgh and the Mets over Atlanta. So we've already met or exceeded the run totals of at least four other teams.

Erik- What game are you watching? Strasburg pitched extremely well. He was 95-98 with incredible movement. Hardly "meatballs" :-)Defense let him down.But Nats are up 2-1 in the 9th! Lidge coming in to close.Go NATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps Adam LaRoche should have been doing more than getting minor league at bats….. Maybe Chad Tracy can play some first? Maybe as much as I wanted the season to open, I kind of forgot how crazy it is to be a Nats fan. 161 more – need to breathe.

Wow! Tons of drama on opening day! So glad the Nats got the curly W and also really glad that Stras didn't have to take an "L" after pitching so well.Great job Ian Desmond! I'm not a Desi hater, but I'm not exactly a big supporter either. He certainly showed his bat today.

Take that, that, that, and that (3 hits/1 ribbie)–you Desi haters!!!!!!!!!!!My man is now leading the NL in hits, and average!Goooooooooooooooooooooo Desi!!!!!Goooooooooooooooooooooooooo Nats!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Anon who hates Desi. God, you are right, he's terrible, made an error. Oh wait, he was the whole Nat's offense essentially winning the game for them. Of course, kudos to Tracy who helped the cause.Might have to give some credit to the pitchers too.

This crazy game was like deja vu all over again. Just last July 4th, the Cubbies were in DC, the Nats were trailing and tied the game after three consecutive walks by Kerry Wood, then eventually won the game against Marmol (that one was a walk-off wild pitch with Werth on third). http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=310704120

Mick, You gotta take it easy. If you look around the league there are 1-0 scores all over the place. It's hard to hit when it's cold and windy and you just arrived from Florida. Say what you want but the walks by LaRoche and Werth in the 8th were as good as hits and Wood is not a bum. he is a good pitcher. Nice game Desi; it's one game but the approach is the same as the end of last year. I think he gets it.

Great game by Desi. Great game by Stras. Great game by Zim. And lights out by the bullpen.And I wouldn't give up on LaRoche just yet. Dempster obviously stymied him with the sinker. But he looked good against Wood.

@NG -You're right, except it wasn't three straight walks. He hit Espinsoa in between walks to Zimmerman and Nix. The second walk scored the tying run. There was a wild pitch in there, too, during Zimmmerman's at bat.

Congratulations to the Nats and especially Ian Desmond who gets more grief than any Nat now that Lannan is a Chief. My only critical comment was that throw by Espinosa on the triple in the 9th inning by Stewart was just stupid. You can see Desi holding up the stop sign and Espi still threw the ball and the ball almost skipped by Ryan Zimmerman. Strasburg looked very good as the game went on.

Just win baybee: Pitch until you hit.P.S. Sarkozy just announced that France is willing to deal LaRoche for a baguette and an expresso.I think he said "Adam's swinging like crepe." But I might have misheard.

Anonymous said… Laroche sucks. He is awful. I called this earlier on here and was criticized. Now what do you think. As soon as Morse is healthy we should platoon Laroche and DeRosa. April 05, 2012 3:09 PM ___________________________________Typical dbag comment. First game and you already have stupidity like this. His walk in the 8th kept that inning going and loaded the bases that led to the tying run.

Drew said… Just win baybee: Pitch until you hit.P.S. Sarkozy just announced that France is willing to deal LaRoche for a baguette and an expresso.I think he said "Adam's swinging like crepe." But I might have misheard. April 05, 2012 6:09 PMAt least that is funny. His glove was great today and you just have to watch him to gauge if you have to move him back in the order. 1 game in. Just 1 game.

Sorry about the double post–not sure my phone browser was getting in.Congratulations Mark, Comcast, and all the insiders on the first (yes?) 400+post for NI. And that's WITH several regulars at Duffy's. Which was excellent, BTW. We should schedule a post from there.

This game, in the immortal words of 1a, was VFB. of course, I didn't SEE it but I lived all the ups and downs through my Imaginary Friends. So proud of Ian…and so so grateful for Mark and you all. And anon at 11:29, you were right on about the score!